Mandate of the Heavens

The Mandate of the Heavens—called Ysgawlch in Einir—was a faith with no true sense of "creation" or "pantheon". One needed not seek miracles from the earth, or from spirits who may walk upon it, or (if one were Phaeroian) from the chaos-goddess Ebbaira; instead, one needed simply to gaze up at the skies and call on powers far, far older than humanity or indeed the earth itself, who shared some aspect of the great power they possessed with those who contemplated them duly and properly.

There is a holy text, compiled from the oral renditions of several astrologers throughout the ages, called the Journey of the Sorcerer. It details the movements of the stars and planets, and contains hymns to them, and requests for aid from them.

The Mandate of the Heavens was popular across most of Einir and the Three Seas, but was eventually replaced near-entirely by Kathan by the end of the 4th Century AB. There are still some practitioners here and there; a revised form of the religion is popular among the literati of Faravella and Cuollesa.

The Sun

The sun is most strongly associated with healing, order, stability, and immortality.

The Moon

The moon is associated with cycles, both creation and destruction, the seas, and change.

The Stars

The stars are associated with history, prophecy, and orphans and outcastes.

The Messenger

The Messenger is the closest planet to the sun, and is associated with rationality and reasoning, adaptability, writers, thieves and tricksters, and (of course) messengers.

The Dancer

The Dancer is the brightest planet in the night sky, and is associated with beauty, compassion, comfort and ease, wealth, order and ritual, and love and lovers.

The Warrior

The Warrior is the next planet out from Tjarral, and has three small moons of its own, mapped by astoronomers for about two hundred years. It is associated with strength, energy, sailors, soldiers, and athletes.

The Reaper

The Reaper is the furthest planet from the sun, and also the largest, with five moons discovered thus far. It is associated with balance, karma, duty, justice, duty, farmers, guards and judges, and death.

The Second Sun

The Second Sun, also called the Midnight Sun, is locked in a binary orbit with the "primary" sun over a rough period of 160 local years. It is associated with healing, good fortune, miracles, gamblers, and protectors.

The Heavens

The Heavens, the dome of the sky itself and the clouds that pass across is, are associated with a cosmic balance, as well as travellers, adventurers, astronomers, and priests.

The High Heavens

The High Heavens, also called the Celestial Lights, refer to the great nebula that surrounds Tjarral, her suns, and the wider network of planets and stars beyond. It it associated with magic, the afterlife, timelessness, and spirits. The Celestial Lights can also refer to the auroras prevalent around the North and South Poles.

Worship

Typically, while all of the Heavenly Bodies are theoretically equal, from kingdom to kingdom some were more equal than others. Following the path usually took place outside, but for the "patron body" of each kingdom one usually found at least one cathedral, wherein the relevant passages from the Journey of the Sorcerer were read out to the public on the holy day associated with the Heavenly Body of choice. There were also several convents, used to map and study the heavens and as meeting-places for those seeking confessional, and smaller sanctums.

Novitiates, Clerics, and Anchorites

There were three broad ranks of priest, open to any and all persons. Novitiates were the lowest rank, the apprentice stage, dedicated to the study of the heavens and of the Journey of the Sorcerer at a convent. After graduation, they became clerics, who could choose to remain at the convent with families, or roam the lands passing on knowledge of the Mandate. Anchorites were the highest stage, each in charge of a convent and theoretically without rank, although there was usually an archimandrite as "first among equals" within a specific country.

Political Involvement

Clerics were not permitted to own land, this being entirely in the gift of the local anchorites, themselves granted lands by the local lords to become (in theory) self-sustaining. They were, however, permitted to remain as guests in the houses of commoners or nobles alike, often for years or decades at a time. (These practices continue with priests of Kathan.) The founding of a convent required the support and presence of at least eight other clerics following the same Path, and few were able to muster up the level of resources to do so. Notably, convents were deemed "beyond the reach of human law", and thus often became places of political asylum despite the best efforts of local lords.

Days of the Week

The calendar used by those bound to the Mandate relies on the combination of the old lunar month with that of the solar calendar, using twelve months of thirty days in combination with seven-day weeks. Each of these days is a theoretical holiday for those following the Heavenly Body associated with that day, and in various kingdoms the "work-week" begins the day after the day of rest followed by the rulers.

Monday is given over to followers of the Moon.

Truthsday is given over to followers of the Warrior.

Windsday is given over to followers of the Messenger and the Heavens.

Turnsday is given over to followers of the Reaper and the Second Sun.

Fireday is given over to followers of the Dancer.

Setterday is given over to followers of the Stars and the High Heavens.

Sunday is given over to followers of the Sun.

All images courtesy of stock, Midjourney, and Mage.

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